17 


NATURAL  SYSTCM 
VERTICAL  WRITING 


TEACHERS' 


D-C-H£ATH-&-CO  BOSTON-NEW  YORK  A  CHICAGO 


TEACHERS'    MANUAL 


TO   ACCOMPANY 


BY 


A.    F.    NEWLANDS   AND   R.    K.    ROW 


Copyright,  1896,  by  A.  F.  NEWLANDS  and  R.  K.  Row 


BOSTON,   U.S.A. 

D.    C.    HEATH    &   CO.,    PUBLISHERS 
1896 


StacK 

5017071 


TABLE    OF   CONTENTS. 

PAGE 

INTRODUCTION v 

CHAP.  I.  —  THE  NATURAL  SYSTEM  OF  VERTICAL  WRITING:   SPECIAL  FEATURES: 

Narrower  Page           .         .         .         .         .         .         .         ......  i 

No  Guide  Lines        ...........  i 

No  Tracing  Copies '2 

Simplification  of  Letter  Forms .  3 

Large  Copies 5 

Proportion 6 

Grouping 7 

Illustrations 7 

Lines  joining  Letters  in  a  Word     .        .         .        .        .        .        .        .  7 

Character  of  the  Copies 8 

CHAP.  II.  —  MATERIAL: 

Desks 9 

Pens           ..............  9 

Pencils       .............  9 

Copy-books  -vs.  Blackboard 10 

Blackboard  Writing .  n 

CHAP.  III.  —  THE  WRITING  LESSON: 

Time  and  Length     ...........  n 

Position     .............  12 

Penholding • 16 

Movement          ............  19 

Training  in  getting  Clear  Concepts 20 

Allow  no  Careless  Writing 20 


PAGE 


iv  TABLE    OF  CONTENTS. 

CHAP.  III.  —  THE  WRITING  LESSON — Continued. 

Backhand 21 

Speed 21 

Ordinary  Class  Writing »         .  24 

The  Teacher's  General  Writing 24 

CHAP.  IV.  —  SPECIAL  SUGGESTIONS: 

Book  I .     '   25 

Book  II          ..'... 26 

Book  III ....  27 

Book  IV .         ...         .  27 

Book  V          .        .        .        .         .         .         .  ,-\  .        .        .         .         .  27 

Book  VI         ...         .      .-..        .         . 27 

CHAP.  V.  —  COURSES  OF  STUDY  IN  WRITING 28 


INTRODUCTION. 


No  subject  in  elementary  schools  has  heretofore  occupied  more  attention  than 
writing.  Normal  schools  and  teachers'  institutes  have  laid  stress  upon  it,  educa- 
tional papers  have  given  it  an  honored  place,  special  teachers  and  supervisors  have 
been  employed,  and  regular  teachers  have  devoted  to  it  a  large  share  of  atten- 
tion. Notwithstanding  all  this,  writing  has  degenerated  and  there  has  been  no  real 
satisfaction  with  the  results  of  school  instruction  in  this  branch.  Business  men  have 
generally  acquired  a  hand  very  different  from  that  taught  in  the  schools,  and  have 
insisted  that  their  young  assistants  learn  a  new  style.  The  demands  for  speed  and 
legibility  have,  in  the  majority  of  cases,  greatly  modified  the  writing  considered 
standard  in  our  schools. 

From  all  this  dissatisfaction  relief  has  come  in  a  thorough  reform  in  the  style  of 
writing.  The  arguments  for  vertical  writing  have  been  generally  accepted  by  pro- 
gressive educators.  There  is  no  longer  any  doubt  that  vertical  writing  is  more 
legible,  more  hygienic,  simpler,  and  more  rapid  than  the  slanting  hand.  With 
many  now  the  important  question  is :  How  can  we  most  quickly  and  easily  effect 
in  our  schools  the  change  from  the  teaching  of  slant  writing  to  the  teaching  of  vertical 
writing?  To  answer  this  question  is  the  purpose  of  this  little  manual. 

The  change  involves  several  important  factors,  but  with  a  simple  system  there  is 
no  serious  difficulty.  Persons  long  accustomed  to  hair  lines,  flowing  curves,  delicate 
shading,  and  complex  letter-forms,  are  at  first  unable  to  see  the  full  beauty  of  writ- 
ing with  uniformly  strong  lines,  simple  letter- forms,  and  no  more  shading  than  in 
ordinary  Roman  type.  Of  course  one  cannot  at  once,  if  ever,  forget  what  he  has 
thoroughly  learned,  but  progress  demands  a  new  point  of  view,  and  new  ideas  of 
fitness  and  purpose  in  writing. 

The  vast  majority  of  pupils  like  the  vertical  writing.  Only  a  few  of  the  older 
ones,  especially  trained  in  the  position  and  movement  for  slant  writing,  find  it  diffi- 
cult to  make  the  change. 


CHAPTER    I. 

THE    NATURAL    SYSTEM    OF    VERTICAL    WRITING:    SPECIAL   FEATURES. 

NARROWER    PAGE. 

The  NATURAL  SYSTEM  presents  a  much  narrower  page  than  most  copy-books.  In 
the  plan  of  the  books  the  needs  of  very  young  beginners  have  been  first  considered. 
It  is  realized  that  most  writing,  even  by  adults,  is  done  upon  very  narrow  note 
paper,  and  that  it  is  when  the  beginner  tries  to  carry  the  pen  more  than  a  few 
inches  to  the  right  of  the  median  line  of  the  body  that  the  mischievous  twist  of  the 
body  begins.  Therefore  the  narrowest  page  consistent  with  the  presentation  of  a 
connected  sentence  for  copy  is  the  best  for  the  beginner. 

NO    GUIDE    LINES. 

The  NATURAL  SYSTEM  uses  only  a  base  line,  thus  leaving  a  fair,  clear,  and  attrac- 
tive space  for  the  pupil's  work,  and  presenting  an  absolutely  hygienic  page.  This  is 
in  the  strongest  contrast  with  almost  every  other  copy-book,  vertical  or  slant,  that 
has  up  to  this  date  been  published  in  this  country,  the  finely  ruled  lines  and  spaces 
of  which  are  more  injurious  to  the  eye  than  anything  else  the  pupil  encounters  in  his 
whole  school  life.  Authors  and  publishers  of  copy-books  have  vied  with  each  other 
in  this  absurdity,  giving  a  definitely  prescribed  height  or  length  for  each  letter  and 
part  of  a  letter  and  often  a  prescribed  width  for  each  part  of  a  letter.  It  would  be  as 
reasonable  to  try  to  teach  a  child  to  talk  by  prescribing  the  pitch  and  length  of 
every  tone  he  utters,  or  to  require  a  child  just  learning  to  walk  to  take  a  step  of 
just  so  many  inches  and  fractions  of  an  inch  in  length.  It  is  impossible  to  perceive 
form,  or  acquire  writing  movement,  while  guiding  the  pen  from  line  to  line  on  paper 
so  minutely  ruled.  Let  any  teacher  try  to  write  a  page  with  such  ruling  and  then 
judge  of  the  difficulty  of  learning  to  write  under  these  restrictions. 


2  THE  NATURAL   SYSTEM  OF   VERTICAL    WRITING. 

It  will  be  argued  that  very  excellent  results  have  been  and  are  now  being  ob- 
tained by  practice  on  paper  so  ruled.  This  is  a  mistake.  To  many  persons  the 
results  seem  excellent,  but  it  is  a  deception.  The  work  is  only  a  kind  of  pen  draw- 
ing and  does  not  in  any  sense  represent  writing  power. 

These  hedging  limitations  repress  individuality.  No  two  children  will  naturally 
make  all  their  letters  of  the  same  size  or  relative  proportions.  The  engraved  copy 
supplies  a  model  to  all,  but  in  working  from  that  model  the  learner  must  be  free  to 
express  himself,  if  he  is  to  do  his  best  work,  and  in  doing  his  best  to  learn  to  do 
better.  The  following  diagrams  in  some  degree  contrast  the  appearance  of  a  section 
of  a  page  of  the  NATURAL  SYSTEM  with  others  in  common  use,  in  the  matter  of  guide 
lines.  The  disadvantage  of  complex  ruling  is  much  more  apparent  when  seen  in  a 
full  page  and  in  the  pale  blue  ink  generally  used. 


Section  of  page  of  Natural  System  of 
Vertical  Writing. 


Sections  of  pages  of  Writing  Books  showing 
Complex  Ruling. 


On  which  kind  of  ruling  would  you  prefer  your  pupils  to  write  ? 


NO    TRACING    COPIES. 

Another  great  mistake,  akin  to  the  use  of  space-ruling,  is  the  use  of  tracing 
copies.  The  reason  for  their  introduction  was  probably  the  same ;  namely,  to  compel, 
as  far  as  possible,  the  young  child  to  make  the  letter  forms  precisely  the  same  as 


SIMPLIFICATION   OF  LETTER   FORMS.  3 

the  copy.  They  sometimes  accomplish  this  purpose,  and  the  work  is  shown  by 
teachers  and  others  as  an  exhibition  of  marvellous  skill.  As  a  matter  of  fact  it  only 
shows  how  children  can  be  led  to  work  at  such  stupid  and  stupefying  toil  as  guiding 
the  point  of  the  pen  up  and  down,  in  and  out,  along  a  maze  of  lines  usually  so 
faintly  printed  as  to  be  trying  to  the  eyes.  While  engaged  in  this  senseless,  wasteful, 
harmful  practice  it  is  impossible  for  a  child  to  really  see  the  form  of  the  letters,  and 
the  work  in  no  way  demands  that  he  should  observe  them.  Whereas,  learning  to 
write  requires  that  one  should  perceive  clearly,  not  only  the  whole  essential  form  of 
the  letter  to  be  made,  but  also  its  relation  to  adjacent  letters  in  the  word. 

The  practice  of  a  writing  movement  is  wholly  out  of  the  question  with  tracing 
copies.  The  first  effort  to  really  write  such  a  copy  runs  the  pen  off  the  line,  and 
mars  the  beauty  ( ?)  of  the  page.  There  is  only  one  way  in  which  this  task  may  be 
done  —  by  patiently  and  laboriously  watching  the  point  of  the  pen,  and  steering  it 
with  the  utmost  care  along  the  dizzy  line. 

Let  any  one  who  believes  this  device  has  any'  true  value,  sit  down  and  try  a 
page  of  it  for  himself,  or  let  him  compare  the  work  of  a  class  of  children  who  have 
had  a  year  or  two  of  this  training  with  a  similar  class  who  have  had  an  equal  amount 
of  practice  in  writing  without  tracing  copies,  and  decide  which  are  potentially  the 
best  writers. 


SIMPLIFICATION    OF    LETTER    FORMS. 

The  authors  of  the  NATURAL  SYSTEM  OF  VERTICAL  WRITING  have,  in  pursuance 
of  their  plans  to  confront  the  beginner  with  as  few  difficulties  as  possible,  presented 
letter  forms  as  nearly  like  those  of  print  as  is  consistent  with  ease  in  making 
the  form  with  a  pen.  The  result  is  that  any  child  who  can  read  print  can  read  the 
letters  of  this  system  at  sight,  and  has  to  learn  practically  but  one  form  of  the  letter. 
It  is  here  that  the  most  effective  simplification  of  the  old  letter  forms  comes  in.  In 
the  slant  writing  much  -  ^  was  made  of  practice  upon 

a  few  elements  under  the  //  //  J  f  /  /• — y       supposition    that   if    these 

could    be     readily     made,    '  all    difficulties    of    writing 

would  be  practically  conquered.     It  was  considered  an  important   achievement  when 

a   child  could    make    quickly   and   gracefully   the   "capital   stem"  /^"~y       as  then  he 
could  build  upon  it  fourteen  different  letters,  namely  : 


THE  NATURAL   SYSTEM  OF   VERTICAL    WRITING. 


As  movement,  complexity  of  form,  and  beauty  of  curve,  and  not  simplicity  and 
legibility,  were  the  ends  sought,  it  was  of  no  consequence  to  the  maker  of  the 
"  system  "  that  by  this  use  of  the  same  capital  stem  (which  was  in  all  cases  the  most 
prominent  feature  of  the  letter)  he  was  reducing  them  all  as  near  as  possible  to 
sameness. 

Under  the  new  criterion  of  legibility  it  is  at  once  seen  that  the  letter  forms  should 
be  such  that,  as  in  the  case  of  print,  each  letter  will  stand  out  with  the  utmost  distinct- 
ness and  peculiarity.  The  "Capital  Stem"  then — if  one  choose  to  name  it  so  —  of 
the  NATURAL  SYSTEM  is  the  simplest  mark  a  child  can  make  with  a  pen,  viz. :  |  Upon 

this    can    be     made  etc.,     and     in    each 

case    the    distinctive  \\_)      =K  hv'      kJ_^  joX  stroke     is     not    the 


capital  stem,  but  the 


added  stroke,    which 


in  each  case  is  unlike  the  distinctive  stroke  of  every  other. 

An  examination  of  all  the  letters  of  the  Natural  System  will  show  how  well  they 
embody  this  idea.  For  some  generations  the  script  forms  of  many  letters  have  been 
such  as  are  very  unlike  those  of  print,  and  far  more  difficult  to  make ;  for  example  : 


I  V/  rx- 


These  in  the  NATURAL  SYSTEM  are  dropped,  and  the  instantly  recognized 

are  restored,  to  the  comfort  of  both  writer  and  reader.  The  letter  in  the 
NATURAL  SYSTEM  which  effects,  perhaps,  the  most  desirable  change  is  the 
small  "g"  which  is  not  only  the  nearest  return  to  the  Roman  printed  small  "g,"  but 
the  one  which  flows  by  far  the  most  easily  and  readily  from  the  pen,  leaves  the  pen 
in  the  best  position  for  the  following  letter,  and,  moreover,  and  most  important 
of  all,  it  is  the  form  which  nine  out  of  ten  business  men  adopt  or  approximate  when 
they  have  gotten  away  from  the  pressure  of  the  school  drill,  and  have  settled  down 
to  their  own  business  hand.  Examination  of  any  file  of  business  letters  will  speedily 
convince  any  one  of  this.  The  adoption  of  this  simple  "g"  also  made  it  possible  to 
simplify  the  "q,"  giving  it  a  pure  print  form.  In  these  days  of  returning  common 


LARGE   HEADLINE    COPIES  FOR   BEGINNERS.  5 

sense,  the  length  to  which  the  mania  for  complex  and  difficult  letter  forms  was  carried 
is  already  almost  past  belief.  The  copy-books  which  not  long  ago  enjoyed  probably 
the  largest  vogue  in  this  country  gave  the  correct  form  of  the  capital  "  K "  as  fol- 
lows :  _j[/  and  the  formula  for  its  construction  was  : 


"The  /—-d/  combines  principles  2,  7,  3,  2,  2,  3,  2.  Height  of  right  side,  3  spaces;  of  left 
side,  2\  ^^sls/  spaces.  Width,  entire  4  spaces;  at  base  line,  3^  spaces;  left  half  and  distance 
between  halves  at  top  and  base  same  as  in  H.  Small  loop  at  mid-height,  and  at  right  angles  to  main 
slant,  count  I,  2,  3,  4,  5,  I  " ! !  1 


Contrast  with  this  _jf/^  tne  f°rm  given  in  the  NATURAL  SYSTEM  i  /  and 
consider  which  is  ac-  J^x^X  cording  to  common  sense,  and  the  more  ea-  |  V^  sily 
learned  by  a  child  ! 

It  will  be  observed  that  wherever  possible  the  loop  has  been  dispensed  with. 
It  is  retained  in  the  "b"  and  "1"  to  avoid  the  possibility  of  confusion  with  the  "v" 
and  "t"  respectively,  and  in  the  developed  "f"  and  in  the  "j"  for  the  sake  of 
speed,  because  the  initial  curve  in  the  primary  "f"  necessitates  with  many  persons 
a  distinct  stop  of  the  pen,  and  the  same  would  be  true  at  the  bottom  of  the  "j" 
if  it  were  terminated  like  the  print  form. 

The  form  of  the  capital  "A"  given  is  the  one  most  like  the  print  capital  letter. 
It  has  been  found  that  the  enlarged  form  of  small  "a"  tends  to  degenerate  so  that 
it  is  indistinguishable  from  the  small  form.  Should  some,  however,  prefer  to  use 
the  enlarged  small  "  a,"  it  will  be  found  that '  they  have  had  abundant  practice  in 
writing  the  small  "a,"  and  all  they  have  to  do  is  enlarge  the  form  already  learned. 


LARGE    HEADLINE    COPIES    FOR    BEGINNERS. 

The  NATURAL  SYSTEM  conforms  exactly  to  the  hygienic  principle,  that  as  the  first 
movements  of  the  child  are  made  by  means  of  the  large  muscles  which  are  first 
developed,  and  are  therefore  movements  of  a  vague  character  and  imperfectly  .con- 
trolled, whereas  skilfully  made  movements  of  a  minute  sort  depend  on  the  small 
muscles  which  are  latest  differentiated  and  brought  under  control,  it  is  in  the  highest 
degree  wrong  to  set  children  to  copying  small  letters  made  with  hair  lines.  It  is 
wholly  unnatural  for  young  children  to  make  small  forms,  and  undesirable  that  they 


6  THE  NATURAL   SYSTEM   OF   VERTICAL    WRITING. 

should ;  they  tire  and  become  irritable  if  forced  to  do  it.  Observe  their  sewing  and 
drawing  as  well  as  their  unrestricted  writing.  Moreover,  the  correct  form  is  much 
more  easily  and  clearly  perceived  in  large  forms  than  in  small  ones,  and  the  move- 
ment used  is  infinitely  freer  and  more  natural.  All  persons  familiar  with  kinder- 
garten practice  know  the  revolution  which  is  taking  place  in  it  and  the  greatly 
increased  size  of  the  objects  now  used  as  well  as  the  great  increase  in  amplitude  of  the 
movements  and  the  manipulations  now  required.  So  far  from  the  ultimate  size  of 
letter  being  the  proper  one  for  a  beginner,  the  child  should  be  confronted  with  a 
very  large  copy,  made  with  very  emphatic  and  clearly  distinguishable  lines  in  which 
the  letter  form  can  be  clearly  seen  and  studied,  and  the  size  of  the  letters  should 
be  gradually  reduced  as  the  pupil's  control  of  his  muscles  increases.  The  importance 
of  this  principle  cannot  be  overstated.  Moreover,  it  is  recognized  that  the  size  of 
the  letter  which  the  child  will  ultimately  make  will,  and  properly  so,  depend  upon 
his  own  choice,  and  not  upon  an  arbitrary  standard  of  the  copy-book.  Every  one 
knows  that  not  all  the  school  drill  of  the  past  has  been  able  to  establish  a  uniform 
size  of  letter  or  control  the  size  of  handwriting  beyond  the  school  period.  In  busi- 
ness and  social  life  every  person  finally  adopts  and  uses  the  size  of  letter  which  his 
taste,  temperament,  and  convenience  dictate,  and  the  great  diversity  in  this  matter 
no  more  excites  comment  or  thought  than  do  the  different  sizes  of  type  used  in 
books  or  in  the  headlines  and  news  columns  of  our  daily  papers. 


PROPORTION. 

In  the  NATURAL  SYSTEM  the  proportion  between  the  height  of  the  short  letters  on 
the  one  hand,  and  the  stem,  loop,  and  capital  letters  on  the  other,  is  the  very 
simplest  one  that  the  mind  can  entertain,  viz. :  The  height  of  the  short  letters  is  half 
that  of  the  stem,  loop,  and  capital  letters.  By  the  adoption  of  this  simplest  of  all 
proportions,  a  reform  of  the  utmost  importance  has  been  effected.  By  it  all  the  long 
letters,  including  "t"  and  "d"  are  carried  to  the  same  height  as  the  capitals,  all 
the  annoying  and  utterly  needless  half  and  quarter  spaces  are  abolished,  and  a  pro- 
portion adopted  which  is  at  once  the  very  simplest  and  easiest  for  the  child  to 
imitate  and  the  most  gratifying  to  the  eye  of  the  reader.  With  this  simple  propor- 
tion before  him  in  the  copies  the  hand  of  the  pupil  conforms  to  it  as  fast  as  his 
muscles  come  under  his  control.  There  being  no  reason  whatever  why  any  "one- 


ILLUSTRATIONS.  — LINES  JOINING  LETTERS.  7 

space "    letter   should  be  written   higher   or   lower   than   another,  it   is   not   so  written, 
and  the  lines  marking  the  spaces  are  absolutely  useless. 

The  work  from  the  outset  is  independent,  the  pupil's  own,  and  tends  always  to 
independence  and  strength. 

GROUPING. 

In  most  copy-books  the  first  drill  is  upon  single  letters  or  even  upon  a  fragment 
of  a  letter,  a  process  of  course  monotonous,  and  lacking  interest  to  the  child.  The 
NATURAL  SYSTEM  begins  with  letters  grouped  in  words,  and  words  of  real  interest  to 
the  children.  This  is  in  strict  accordance  with  the  modern  method  of  teaching 
reading,  and  we  think  will  be  instantly  recognized  as  right. 


PICTORIAL    ILLUSTRATIONS. 

The  first  two  books  of  the  NATURAL  SYSTEM  present  the  same  advantage,  in  the 
way  of  graphic  and  attractive  illustrations,  which  has  always  been  given  in  primers 
and  first  readers,  a  thing  which  has  never,  to  our  knowledge,  been  done  before  in 
copy-books,  but  the  desirability  of  which  for  small  children  all  will  admit.  This  use 
of  illustrations  was  naturally  suggested  by  a  study  of  the  whole  matter  from  the  point 
of  view  of  what  would  be  most  helpful  to  the  child. 


LINES   JOINING    LETTERS    IN    A   WORD. 

For  the  sake  of  economy  of  time  and  effort,  all  the  most  rapid  writers  are  pront; 
to  neglect  the  lines  with  which  children  have  been  so  carefully  taught  to  join  letters 
in  a  word.  They  have  not  time  to  write  what  is  unnecessary,  and  their  letters  stand 
distinct  as  in  print,  and  of  course  with  gain  not  only  in  speed  but  also  in  legibility. 
To  direct  the  attention  first  to  the  letter  forms  and  to  rely  on  the  grouping  of  the 
letters  for  the  word-picture,  as  in  print,  and  to  leave  the  joinings  of  letters,  especially 
at  the  outset,  mainly  to  the  convenience  of  the  child,  are  a  reversal  of  all  previous 
methods,  but  a  few  minutes'  reflection  will  convince  any  fair-minded  person  of  the 
great  propriety  of  such  a  course.  It  will  be  admitted  that  lines  connecting  letters  in 
print  would  not  only  be  utterly  useless,  but  would  greatly  diminish  legibility.  It  will 
be  equally  admitted  that  if  from  a  sheet  of  writing  all  the  joining  lines  should  be 


8  THE  NATURAL    SYSTEM   OF   VERTICAL    WRITING. 

neatly  erased  the  writing  would  be  more  legible.  Even  a  casual  examination  of 
ordinary  business  writing  will  show  that  nine-tenths  of  the  writers  unconsciously  leave 
slight  gaps  between  letters  in  nearly  every  word  they  write.  When  one  has  once 
turned  his  attention  to  this  matter  the  facts  are  always  surprising.  A  little  further 
reflection  will  show  that  these  gaps  denote  not  stoppages  of  motion,  but  accelerations, 
the  pen,  like  the  mind,  leaping  by  the  quickest  method,  and  refusing  to  be  occupied 
with  anything  between.  Those  who  write  most  rapidly  and  at  the  same  time  most  legi- 
bly, invariably  make  least  account  of'careful  joinings  between  the  letters  of  a  word. 

But  more  important  than  all  this  is  the  fact  that  for  beginners  enforced  attention  to 
connecting  lines  prevents  the.  proper  comprehension  of  the  letter  forms.  The  rule 
should  therefore  be  that  instruction  should  not  insist  that  the  pen  be  kept  on  the 
paper  and  leave  an  ink  trace  from  beginning  to  end  of  a  word,  but  that  the  word  should 
be  thought  of  as  a  group  of  letters,  the  group  separated  by  a  sufficient  space  from  the 
other  groups,  the  joinings  being  mainly  and  easily  determined  by  the  gradually  acquired 
choice  and  habit  of  the  individual  writer.  The  result  will  be  handwriting  character- 
ized by  naturalness  and  legibility,  and  a  great  deal  of  drill  heretofore  thought  needful 
at  the  very  outset  will  be  seen  to  have  been  needless  and  out  of  place. 


CHARACTER    OF    THE    COPIES. 

Throughout  the  series  there  has  been  a  constant  effort  to  correlate  the  other 
subjects  of  study  with  the  special  writing  lesson.  The  best  use  of  these  copies  will 
require  special  skill  and  preparation  on  the  part  of  the  teacher.  In  Book  I  the 
words  and  sentences  should  be  taught  in  the  regular  reading  lesson,  the  idea  or 
thought  being  always  clearly  developed,  then  the  writing  lesson  will  have  a  special 
interest,  and  will  firmly  fix  what  has  been  previously  developed.  In  the  later  books, 
before  a  copy  is  written,  its  statement  should,  so  far  as  possible,  be  verified,  and  its 
relations  traced,  or  its  question  should  be  definitely  answered  by  either  pupil  or 
teacher.  A  question  is  often  a  more  powerful  educator  than  its  answer. 


DESKS.  —  PENS.  —  PENCILS.  9 

CHAPTER    II. 

MATERIAL. 

DESKS. 

The  important  reform  in  writing  is  primarily  a  reform  in  the  writing  posture,  hence 
the  necessity  for  reconsidering  the  subject  of  school  desks.  There  is  no  doubt  that  flat 
office  desks  and  nearly  flat  school  desks  have  come  into  general  use  as  a  result  of  the  use 
of  sloping  writing,  because  the  flat  surface  favors  the  hand  position  and  the  movement 
approved  for  slant  writing.  Now  it  has  been  found  that  the  most  hygienic  school  desk  is 
one  having  a  slope  of  at  least  fifteen  degrees,  adjustable  as  to  height  and  distance  from 
the  pupil. 

PENS. 

In  vertical  writing  it  is  essential  that  all  lines  shall  be  strong,  hence  the  pens 
used  must  be  of  at  least  medium  breadth  and  firmness,  and  very  smooth. 

In  their  investigations  the  authors  of  the  NATURAL  SYSTEM  tested  several  hun- 
dreds of  pens,  but  found  none  entirely  satisfactory  in  all  respects.  They  therefore 
designed  a  special  pen,  made  in  two  grades,  known  as  the  Volpenna  A  and  B, 
which  has  been  found  to  be  especially  suited  to  the  requirements  of  vertical  writing 
and  to  general  schoolroom  and  office  work. 

The  Volpenna  A  is  recommended  for  use  in  all  grades,  but  for  pupils  of  the 
higher  grades  who  desire  a  finer  pen,  the  Volpenna  B  has  been  provided. 

The  use  of  fine  pens  is  partially  responsible  for  the  tendency  among  pupils  to 
grip  the  pen,  bend  over  their  work,  bringing  the  eyes  close  to  the  paper  and  tend- 
ing to  produce  myopia. 

PENCILS. 

Pen  and  ink  should  be  used  from  the  first.  In  schools  where  provision  is  not 
made  for  the  use  of  pens  and  ink  in  the  lowest  grade  a  substitute  will  be  found 
in  a  large,  soft  pencil.  The  large  copies  in  Books  I  and  II  will  be  found  adapted 
to  the  use  of  such  a  pencil.  Ordinary  school  lead-pencils  should  not  be  used,  as  they 


10  THE  NATURAL   SYSTEM    OF  VERTICAL    WRITING. 

require  too  much  pressure  to  make  a  distinct  mark,  and  so  develop  a  bad  habit  of 
penholding.  Besides,  the  more  or  less  indistinct  gray  lines  are  always  injurious  to 
the  eyes,  especially  of  young  children.  The  use  of  slates  and  slate-pencils,  at  least 
in  the  best  schools,  is  past.  In  addition  to  being  unhygienic,  it  emphasizes  to  the 
highest  degree  the  faults  of  the  lead-pencil. 


COPY-BOOKS   vs.    BLACKBOARD. 

Owing  to  the  general  dissatisfaction  with  the  school  writing,  and  to  many  serious 
defects  in  copy-books,  some  teachers  have  dispensed  with  the  head-line  books,  and 
have  taught  writing  by  means  of  the  blackboard  and  blank  books,  or  practice  paper. 
With  the  introduction  of  a  much  simpler  and  more  natural  style  of  writing,  and 
such  marked  improvements  in  copy  books,  the  conditions  that  led  to  the  disuse 
of  printed  copies  no  longer  exist.  To  the  exclusive  use  of  the  blackboard  and 
practice  paper  as  a  means  of  teaching  writing,  there  are  several  objections. 
First,  there  are  but  few  teachers  well  qualified  to  place  before  their  pupils  from  day 
to  day  the  best  models  ;  that  is,  simple,  typal  letter-forms  free  from  the  individuality 
of  the  teacher.  As  the  pupils  pass  from  grade  to  grade,  they  are  unnecessarily 
imitating  the  special  peculiarities  of  first  one  teacher  and  then  another.  Second, 
a  copy  written  on  the  blackboard  does  not  appear  the  same  to  pupils  occupying 
different  parts  of  the  room.  It  is  not  essentially  the  same  copy  to  one  who  sits 
at  the  side  of  the  room  and  views  it  at  an  acute  angle  that  it  is  to  one  directly 
in  front.  Third,  to  require  young  children  to  read  very  much  from  the  blackboard 
is  injurious  to  the  eyes.  This  is  especially  true  of  the  writing  lesson  in  which  there 
must  be  frequent  glancing  from  the  large  forms  on  a  black  surface  at  a  distance,  to 
the  small,  near  forms  on  a  white  surface,  necessitating  sudden  changes  in  the  adjust- 
ment of  the  eye  similar  to  those  experienced  in  passing  from  a  dark  room  to  one 
brilliantly  lighted.  Fourth,  children  work  more  carefully  in  a  book  that  is  to  be 
preserved,  than  on  practice  paper  that  is  but  a  thing  for  the  day. 

The  blackboard  should  be  used  in  connection  with  every  writing  lesson  in  illus- 
trating prevailing  errors,  and  showing  how  to  correct  them.  Practice  paper  is  of 
value  in  teaching  or  giving  special  practice  on  a  particular  point. 


THE    WRITING  LESSON.  H 

BLACKBOARD   WRITING. 

It  is  best  to  have  the  children  begin  writing  upon  the  blackboard,  and  the 
practice  should  be  continued  as  long  and  as  much  as  circumstances  will  permit. 
This  is  at  once  most  hygienic  and  most  educational.  First,  because  it  requires  the 
use  of  only  the  larger  nervous  and  muscular  areas,  that  are  earliest  developed  and  is 
in  no  way  trying  to  the  eyes ;  and  second,  in  that  it  gives  the  best  training  in  clear 
perception  of  form  and  in  freedom  of  movement.  The  large  number  of  pupils  in 
most  primary  classes  and  the  limited  blackboard  space  will  usually  make  it  impos- 
sible to  rely  upon  the  blackboard  practice  as  a  means  of  teaching  writing,  but  it 
should  be  used  as  freely  as  possible  as  an  auxiliary  to  paper  practice.  Next  to  the 
blackboard  and  crayon  the  best  materials  for  primary  classes  are  writing  books  having 
large  copies,  and  broad,  smooth  pens. 


CHAPTER    III. 

THE   WRITING   LESSON. 

TIME   FOR   THE   WRITING    LESSON. 

The  lesson  should  be  arranged  if  possible  for  the  second  period  in  the  list  of 
exercises  for  the  day.  The  period  immediately  after  recess  and  the  last  half  hour  in 
the  afternoon  are  objectionable ;  in  the  case  of  the  former  the  pupils'  hands  are 
likely  to  be  unsteady  from  the  excitement  of  vigorous  play,  and  in  the  latter  the 
pupils  are  apt  to  be  too  weary  to  give  the  best  attention  to  the  subject. 

LENGTH    OF   LESSONS. 

First  Year     .  .  From  15  to  20  minutes  every  day. 

Second  Year  .  From  15  to  20  minutes  every  day. 

Third  Year   .  .  From  20  to  25  minutes  every  day. 

Fourth  Year  .  From  20  to  25  minutes  every  day. 

Fifth  Year     .  .  From  25  to  30  minutes  at  least  four  times  a  week. 

Sixth  Year    .  .  From  30  to  35  minutes  at  least  three  times  a  week. 


12  THE  NATURAL    SYSTEM   OF   VERTICAL    WRITING. 

POSITION. 

The  body  should  be  self-supporting.  Each  arm  should  rest  lightly  on  the  upper 
part  of  the  wrist,  with  the  elbow  hanging  easily  at  the  side,  the  weight  of  the  arm 
being  principally  supported  from  the  shoulder.  The  writing  page  should  be  directly 
in  front  of  the  body,  with  the  writing  line  parallel  to,  and  from  three  to  seven  inches 
from,  the  edge  of  the  desk  (Fig.  i). 


Fig.  1 .  —  Correct  Position  for  Vertical  Writing. 

If  the  desk  be  quite  flat,  or  too  high,  the  page  may  be  moved  a  little  to  the 
right  of  the  median  line  of  the  body,  or  turned  five  or  six  degrees. 

The  position  usually  but  improperly  recommended  for  vertical  writing  is  the  same 
as  that  approved  for  the  slant  hand,  with  the  arms  spread  and  carried  forward  so 
that  the  forearm  rests  on  the  swell  of  the  arm  near  the  elbow.  With  this  position 
the  paper  must  be  placed  well  up  on  the  desk.  At  the  ordinary,  nearly  flat,  desk 
this  necessitates  a  hunching  of  the  shoulders,  as  seen  in  Fig.  2,  a  settling  forward 
and  a  further  spread  of  the  arms,  or  turning  the  left  side  slightly  toward  the  desk 
and  placing  the  left  arm  upon  it  (Fig.  3). 

There  are  three  reasons  for  these  positions.  First,  the  inevitable  tendency  to 
settle  forward  and  spread  the  arms  when  they  are  carried  forward,  the  pose  of  the 
body  being  thus  disturbed.  Second,  the  effort  to  bring  the  eyes  at  a  normal  focussing 
distance  from  the  page.  Third,  the  natural  desire  to  get  the  line  of  sight  at  nearly 
right  angles  to  the  plane  of  the  writing  surface. 


POSITION. 


Fig.  2. 


Fig.  3. 


Fig.  4. 
Incorrect  Positions. 

This  matter  of  position  is  important,  and  it  may  be  well  to  illustrate  it  in  another 
way.  With  the  forearm  well  up  on  the  desk  and  the  writing  page  directly  in  front 
of  the  body,  the  position  commonly  illustrated  for  vertical  writing  (Fig.  4),  the  arm 
will  swing  on  a  fixed  rest  at  o  and  the  tendency  will  be  to  write  "uphill." 

This  is  the  reason  why  slant  writers  who  approve  this  arm  position,  turn  the 
paper  so  that  the  writing  line  is  at  right  angles  to  the  forearm.  (Fig.  5).  This  posi- 
tion admits  of  the  sliding  movement  for  slant  writing,  but  does  not  admit  of  a  free, 
circular,  or  rolling  movement  such  as  is  necessary  for  genuine  vertical  writing.  For 
the  latter  the  arm  must  rest  very  lightly  on  the  upper  part  of  the  wrist,  which  then 
serves  as  a  moving  rest  (Fig.  6),  and  the  arm  swings  from  left  to  right. 


THE  NATURAL   SYSTEM   OF   VERTICAL    WRITING. 


Only  a  desk  of  about   fifteen  degrees  slope  and   properly  adjusted  as  to   height, 
admits  of  a  truly  hygienic  posture  (Fig.  i).     With  a  sloping  desk  adapted  to  the  height 


Fig.  5.  —  Incorrect  Position. 

of  the  writer  the  elbows  may  be  kept  in  the  normal  position  at  the  sides,  thus  avoiding 
all  tendencies  to  draw  the  shoulders  and  spine  out  of  position.     The  paper  is  brought 


VAX 


Fig.  6. —  Correction  Position  of  Paper  and  Arms  for  Vertical  Writing. 

at  the  proper  angle  nearer  to  the  face,  and  there  is  no  necessity  for  adapting  the  body 
to  the  desk  in  this  respect.  If  the  body  inclines  forward,  as  it  usually  does  slightly,  the 
bending  is  mainly  at  the  hip  joints,  and  there  is  no  prolonged  contraction  of  one  set 
of  muscles  and  a  corresponding  relaxation  of  another  set,  as  when  the  shoulders  are 


POSITION. 


drawn   forward.     There  is  no  desire  to  spread  out  the  arms  and  settle  down  with  the 
chest  against  the  desk. 

It  may  be  urged  that  this  position  does  not  give  the  necessary  hand  control  to 
secure  smooth,  uniform,  and  precise  letter-forms. 
Figure  7  is  a  reproduction  of  an  old  cut  repre- 
senting a  monk  of  the  Middle  Ages,  when  all  let- 
ter-forms were  vertical,  at  work  at  the  style  of 
desk  then  in  vogue,  having  a  slope  much  greater 
than  that  we  recommend.  Of  the  writings  of 
the  monks  of  that  time,  W.  and  G.  Audsley,  proba- 
bly the  best  authorities  on  these  matters,  say :  — 

"  Perhaps  there  is  nothing  more  calculated 
to  astonish  those  .who  examine  the  manuscripts 
of  the  Middle  Ages  than  the  beautifully  executed 
text.  Faultlessly  regular  in  every  line,  on  every 
page,  perfect  in  form  of  every  letter,  it  is  indeed  a  mystery  to  us  how  mortal  hands 
could  have  executed  it." 


Fig.  7.  —  Monk  at  Old  Style  Desk. 


Fig.  8.  —  Mr.  Edison  at  Desk. 

It  will  also  be  urged  that  the  position  here   advocated   cannot  admit  of  freedom 
and  speed.     This  will  be  true  at  first  to  those  who  have  spent  years  in  training  them- 


16  THE  NATURAL    SYSTEM   OF   VERTICAL    WRITING. 

i 
selves   in   an   entirely  different   habit.      As   one   becomes   accustomed   to   the   position 

illustrated  in  Fig.  i  he  will  find  that  it  permits  the  utmost  freedom  and  rapidity  of 
movement.  This  will  be  dealt  with  more  fully  under  MOVEMENT  and  SPEED  ;  but  we 
give  here  (Fig.  8)  a  cut  representing  Mr.  Edison  (the  inventor,  who  is  also  an 
expert  telegrapher)  at  his  desk,  receiving  a  press  message.  Though  an  exceedingly 
rapid  writer,  being  reputed  to  write  from  forty- five  to  fifty  or  more  words  a  minute,  he 
assumes  a  notably  easy  and  natural  position,  though  not  conforming  in  every  particu- 
lar to  the  one  we  have  given  as  the  standard. 


PENHOLDING. 

A  good  general  direction  for  penholding  is  :  Let  the  third  and  fourth  fingers  be 
curled  under  so  that  the  hand  will  move  freely  on  the  last  or  tip  joint  of  the  little 
finger,  and  if  desired,  also  on  the  swell  of  the  hand  near  the  wrist.  The  pen  should 
be  held  between  the  thumb  and  the  second  finger,  as  shown  in  the  illustration 
(Fig.  9),  the  forefinger  resting  against  the  upper  right  side  of  the  pen  to  steady  it, 
and  the  penholder  lying  against  the  knuckle  where  the  forefinger  joins  the  hand. 
The  concave  surface  of  the  pen  should  turn  very  slightly  to  the  right. 


Fig.  9.  — Correct  Method  of  Penholding  for  Vertical  Writing. 

CAUTIONS.  —  The  hand-position  and  method  of  penholding  recommended  for  slant 
writing  (Fig.  10),  the  hand  turned  palm  downward  and  resting  on  the  tips  of  the  third 
and  fourth  fingers,  etc.,  are  quite  unsuited  to  vertical  writing,  in  that  they  determine  a 


PENHOLDING. 


sort  of  sliding,  zigzag  movement,  producing  oblique  upstrokes  with,  possibly,  vertical 
downstrokes.  Both  this  hand  position  and  the  peculiar  style  of  writing  to  which  it 
is  adapted,  are  in  some  books  now  on  the  market  shown  for  vertical  writing.  It  is 


Fig.  10. —  Method  of  holding  Pen  for  Slanting  Writing. 

impossible  with  this  zigzag  movement  to  secure  both  legibility  and  speed.  Under 
rapid  action,  the  hand  control  declines  and  the  writing  degenerates,  so  that  the 
letters  generally  become  weak  and  characterless,  and  the  "  m,"  "n,"  "u,"  "i,"  "v," 
and  "  w  "  forms  are  indistinguishable. 


Fig.   11.  —  Hand  turned  too  far  to  Right. 

Many,  on  beginning  vertical  writing,  make  the  mistake  of  going  to  the  other 
extreme,  and  turn  the  hand  too  far  to  the  right,  with  the  penholder  nearly  at  right 
angles  to  the  forearm  (Fig.  n).  This  gives  a  decided  tendency  to  backhand  and,  what 
is  even  more  objectionable,  gives  the  strength  to  the  horizontal  curves  instead  of  to  the 


1  8  THE  NATURAL    SYSTEM   OF   VERTICAL    WRITING. 

vertical   strokes  (Plate  I).     The   less   important  parts  of  the   letters  are  made   strong, 
and  the  more  important  correspondingly  weak.     There  is,  moreover,  especially  among 

"Lo  j2A>eAxj  Truo/ru  o/rui, 
Trucrrrue/rut  "to 

Plate  I.  —  Effect  of  turning  Hand  on  Side. 


young   children  using  this  position,  a  common  tendency  to  cramp  the  hand  and  write 
with  a  very  labored  movement. 

Some  persons  like  to  place  the  penholder  between  the  first  and  second  fingers. 
It  will  be  readily  seen  that  this  method  of  penholding  will  have  the  same  tendencies 
as  that  described  above,  and  besides,  particularly  with  young  children,  there  is  less 
control  over  the  minute  movements  of  the  pen  and  the  writing  is  likely  to  appear 
indifferent  and  scrawlly. 


Fig.   12.  — Cramped  Position  of  Hand. 

It  is  recognized  that  many  persons  use  one  or  both  of  these  last  described 
methods  of  penholding  and  write  quite  well,  and  perhaps  rapidly,  but  experience 
has  shown  that  neither  method  is  a  safe  one  to  teach. 

Some  children  have  a  tendency  to  grip  the  pen,  or  from  the  use  of  pencils  have 
formed  the  habit  of  gripping  it  (Fig.  12).  This  may  usually  be  corrected  by  simply 
requiring  the  pupils  to  keep  the  first  finger  nearly  straight. 


MOVEMENT.  19 

MOVEMENT. 

The  position  recommended  admits  of  a  free,  easy,  circular  movement  to  which 
the  NATURAL  SYSTEM  is  especially  adapted.  A  careful  inspection  will  show  that  the 
basis  of  nearly  all  the  letter  forms  in  this  system  is  the  broad  ellipse,  the  whole  or 
any  part  of  which  can  be  made  very  easily  and  rapidly  with  this  circular  movement. 

When  children  are  taught  this  system  from  the  first,  and  encouraged  to  observe 
the  proper  position  and  penholding,  there  is  no  need  of  special  movement  exercise  or 
drill.  The  large  copies  furnish  the  best  training  in  movement  in  the  primary  classes. 
With  older  pupils  who  have  learned  to  write  some  other  style  it  may  be  necessary  to 
give  regular  and  systematic  practice  on  the  following  exercises  :  — 


LLLLLLL 


Plate  II.  Plate  III. 


Plate  IV.  Plate  V. 


Plate  VI.  Plate  VII. 

These  exercises  should  be  practised  with  some  care  at  first  and  the  speed  gradu- 
ally increased.  In  the  exercises  represented  by  Plates  III,  IV,  V,  it  is  well  to  prac- 
tise the  parts  connected  at  first  and  afterwards  separately.  As  there  is  no  change 
of  action,  it  is  easier  to  acquire  the  form  and  movement  in  the  continuous  exercise, 
but  what  is  required  in  actual  rapid  writing  is  readiness  in  checking  the  action  to 
facilitate  change  in  the  kind  or  direction  of  the  movement. 

In  the  exercises,  Plates  VI  and  VII,  the  action  is  not  really  the  same  as  that  used 
in  writing,  as  the  pen  continues  to  run  in  precisely  similar  ways  over  the  same  sur- 
face, and  so  forms  a  habit  of  continuing  an  action  instead  of  completing  it.  For 


2O  THE  NATURAL   SYSTEM  OF   VERTICAL    WRITING. 

this  reason  many  persons  who  have  had  much  training  and  have  free  movement  are 
necessarily  slow  writers. 

As  supplementary  drill  it  will  be  found  a  good  phn  to  give  for  brief  practice 
commonly  recurring  small  words,  such  as,  and,  the,  it,  for,  to,  is,  are,  etc.  Such 
practice  is  not  for  movement  in  the  ordinary  sense,  but  rather  for  developing  quick- 
ness of  action. 

At  the  nearly  flat  desk  there  is  a  tendency  to  press  upon  the  wrist  or  hand. 
This  can  be  remedied  by  having  the  pupils  practise,  for  a  short  time  at  the  begin- 
ning of  each  special  lesson,  with  the  hand  and  arm  entirely  free  from  the  desk. 
Then  gradually  allow  the  hand  to  come  down  to  the  proper  position  heretofore 
described. 

TRAINING    IN    GETTING    CLEAR   CONCEPTS. 

It  must  be  remembered  that  the  child  does  not  try  to  reproduce  directly  on 
paper  the  copy  before  him.  It  is  rather  the  mental  image  acquired  by  looking  at 
the  word  or  letter  that  his  hand  tries  to  represent  on  the  paper.  Hence,  an  impor- 
tant part  of  the  writing  lesson  is  to  train  the  pupils  in  accurate  perception  of  the 
forms  and  relations  of  the  letters.  This  requires  on  the  part  of  the  pupil  a  careful, 
scrutinizing  observation  of  each  word  of  the  copy  so  that  the  first  general  perception 
of  the  word  as  a  whole  is  followed  by  a  detailed  analytic  perception  of  the  letters, 
their  proportions,  and  relations,  and  then  a  re-grouping  of  these  detailed  concepts  in 
a  clear  image  of  the  whole  word.  For  this  reason  when  taking  up  a  new  copy, 
especially  in  the  primary  grades,  it  is  best  for  the  pupils  to  have  separate  sheets  of 
practice  paper.  Let  the  pupils  look  at  the  copy  for  a  short  time,  then  close  the 
copy-book  and  write  it  on  their  practice  paper.  They  should  then  open  the  book, 
compare  their  reproduction  with  the  copy,  and  this  should  be  repeated  until  the  pupils 
show  that  they  have  a  fair  concept  of  the  form  of  the  copy. 


ALLOW    NO    CARELESS   WRITING. 

While  it  is  desirable  to  cultivate  a  reasonable  degree  of  freedom,  especially  in 
the  higher  grades,  there  should  be  no  careless  work  in  the  copy-books.  If  a  pupil 
manifests  a  disposition  to  scribble,  he  should  be  limited  to  the  practice  paper  until  he 
shows  that  he  is  willing  to  do  his  best.  Let  the  writing  of  a  copy  in  the  book  be  a 


BA  CKHAND.  —  SPEED.  2 1 

privilege,  to  be  accorded  in  the  first  place  as  a  sort  of  promotion  from  the  initial 
lesson  on  the  practice  paper,  and  subject  to  forfeiture  at  any  time  subsequently,  upon 
unmistakable  evidence  of  indifference. 


BACKHAND. 

Some  pupils  have  a  decided  tendency  to  write  backhand,  and  some  have  always 
done  so  even  when  trained  in  the  ordinary  sloping  hand.  There  is  no  serious  objec- 
tion to  advanced  pupils  slanting  their  writing  a  little  one  way  or  the  other,  but  many 
persons,  who  can  complacently  regard  writing  of  fifty-two  degrees'  slant  to  the  right, 
are  shocked  if  they  see  it  tipped  five  degrees  to  the  left.  The  vertical  seems  to  be 
a  normal  direction,  and  it  is  certainly  the  simplest  standard  by  which  to  secure  any- 
thing like  uniformity  in  direction.  If  there  is  a  general  tendency  among  the  pupils 
to  write  a  backhand  it  will  be  because  the  desks  are  too  high  or  too  flat,  or  both, 
or  the  pupils  turn  the  hand  too  far  over  on  the  side. 


SPEED    IN    WRITING. 

There  has  been  a  general  impression  that  the  vertical  does  not  admit  of  being 
written  as  rapidly  as  the  slant  writing  and  that  the  development  of  slant  has  been  a 
natural  result  of  the  striving  after  speed.  The  experience  of  many  since  the  revival 
of  the  upright  hand  seems  to  confirm  this  impression.  In  America,  particularly,  no 
other  consideration  (except  prejudice,  the  absence  of  consideration)  has  been  such 
an  obstacle  to  its  still  more  rapid  and  general  adoption,  and  perhaps  nothing  testifies 
more  strongly  to  its  merits  than  the  fact  that  in  spite  of  its  being  considered  slow, 
vertical  writing  has,  in  so  short  a  time,  among  a  people  who  emphasize  speed  in  all 
things,  been  accepted  by  thousands  of  .educators  as  preferable  to  the  slant  style. 

In  Germany  the  same  impression  prevails.  Dr.  Berlin  points  out  that  the 
oblique  system  is  a  result  of  the  effort  after  rapidity  in  writing,  but  inquires, 
"What  has  rapidity  to  do  with  instruction  in  primary  writing?  Even  if  the  oblique 
system  is  much  more  convenient  for  rapidity,  there  is  no  need  of  accustoming 
children  to  it,  at  a  time  when  they  neither  must  nor  should  write  fast." 

On  the  other  hand,  it  has  again  and  again  been  pointed  out  that  many  of  the 
most  rapid,  legible,  business,  and  literary  writers  use  the  upright  style. 


22  THE  NATURAL   SYSTEM  OF   VERTICAL    WRITING. 

Of  this  apparent  contradiction  we  think  a  perfectly  satisfactory  explanation  can 
be  given.  One  naturally  looks  for  this  explanation  in  the  different  styles  of  vertical 
writing  that  prevail.  Speed  must  depend  on  position  and  movement,  and  position 
and  movement,  again,  determine  the  particular  style  of  writing. 

There  is  no  doubt  that  the  orthodox  hand  position  and  muscular  action  for 
slant  writing  permit  a  high  degree  of  speed,  but  the  action  is  of  such  a  nature,  a 
sort  of  forward  and  back  movement,  that  as  the  speed  increases  the  legibility  rapidly 
declines,  and  as  a  consequence  writing  of  anything  like  the  standard  slant  generally 
breaks  down  and  tends  to  become  weak  and  illegible  when  the  writer  becomes 
severely  pressed  for  time.  It  may  be  rapidly  written,  but  in  such  case  loses  a  quality 
vastly  more  important  than  speed. 

Now,  one  of  the  styles  of  vertical  writing  most  commonly  advocated  partakes 
partly  of  the  nature  of  the  sloping  writing  in  that  it  has  the  oblique  forward  up-stroke, 
but  a  vertical  down-stroke  (Plate  VIII).  This  it  will  be  readily  seen  requires  a  zigzag 


Plate  Vlil. 

action  of  the  hand  that  cannot  possibly  be  continued  rapidly  and  produce  legible 
forms.  It  is  this  style  of  vertical  writing,  prevalent  in  several  varieties,  that  has  been 
found  to  be  slow.  It  is,  however,  very  naturally,  the  style  introduced  by  the  Germans, 
and  nearly  all  the  American  styles  (though  the  writing  looks  better  to  us  than  the 
German)  require  essentially  the  same  action.  Other  styles  may  look  slow,  but  this 
has  been  proved  to  be  so,  and  from  a  careful  consideration  of  it  the  reason  is  obvious. 
When  the  hand  must  essentially  change  the  kind  or  direction  of  its  movement  at  the 
end  of  each  short  stroke,  a  rapid  action  producing  legible-letter  forms  cannot  be 
sustained. 

There  is  a  style  of  vertical   writing   which   all   will  admit   to   be   very   rapid,  but 
which  fortunately  no  one  has  ventured  to  teach  (Plate  IX).     This  is  a  hand  used  by 


Plate  IX. 


many  persons  who  apparently  place  speed  before  legibility,  esteeming  their   own   time 
more  precious  than  that  of  those    to    whom   they  write.       Now,  it    must   be   observed 


SPEED  IN    WRITING.  23 

that  the  reason  this  hand  can  be  written  so  rapidly  is  because  the  nature  and  direc- 
tion of  the  movement  very  seldom  change  to  any  perceptible  degree.  It  is  an  under- 
circular  movement  throughout. 

While  we  do  not  approve  this  style,  we  call  attention  to  it  because  it  helps  to 
show  why  the  style  used  in  the  NATURAL  SYSTEM  is  at  the  same  time  the  most  rapid 
and  the  most  legible  yet  published. 

There  are  in  the  NATURAL  SYSTEM  practically  none  of  the  oblique  up  strokes  that 
characterize  nearly  all  other  styles  of  vertical  writing  and  that  render  speed  with 
legibility  impossible.  The  up  as  well  as  the  down  strokes  are  vertical,  and  the  turns 
are  elliptical.  Wherever  possible,  consistent  with  legibility,  the  under  round  turn  has 
been  used  and  the  upper  round  turn  dispensed  with.  This  requires  fewest  changes 
of  direction  in  the  movement  of  the  hand.  The  few  upper  turns  also  are  round,  as  in 
"m,"  "n,"  and  the  last  part  of  "h,"  and  this  curve  too  is  capable  of  being  made  rapidly. 
With  this  style  of  writing,  therefore,  the  only  obstacle  to  great  speed  is  the  necessity 
for  reversing  the  direction  of  the  elliptical  motion  of  the  hand.  This  necessity,  as  has 
been  pointed  out,  is  reduced  to  a  minimum,  and  the  difficulty  has  been  still  further 
reduced  to  a  surprising  degree  by  training  the  pupils  to  regard  the  joinings  as  unim- 


TTUZXJJ^UULLL 


Plate  X. 

portant.  Many  persons  who  do  not  hesitate  to  use  sharp  "m's"  and  "n's"  after  almost 
any  other  letter,  always  make  them  rounded  as  initials  (Plate  X).  This  is  because  it  is 
quite  easy  to  make  round  upper  turns  at  the  beginning,  but  it  is  more  difficult  to  change 
to  that  after  the  hand  has  been  swinging  along  with  the  under-circular  movement. 
For  the  same  reason  when  the  pen  is  lifted  anywhere  in  a  word,  the  next  letter 
becomes  the  same  as  an  initial  letter,  and  the  hand  readily  takes  any  desired  direction 
(Plate  XI). 


CXjTTUZx? 


Plate  XI. 

The   correct  form  for  writing  both  initial  and  medial  "  m  "  is  illustrated  in  Plate 


XII. 


24  THE  NATURAL    SYSTEM   OF  VERTICAL    WRITING. 


Plate  XII. 

To  most  persons  it  will  seem  almost  incredible  that  a  disconnected  hand  can 
be  written  more  rapidly  than  a  continuous  one,  but  a  careful  examination  of  the 
writing  of  a  number  of  business  or  literary  persons  will  clearly  establish  the  fact. 

A  striking  example  of  this  is  to  be  found  in  the  handwriting  of  Thomas  A. 
Edison,  who  when  engaged  as  a  telegraph  operator  was  recognized  as  one  of  the 
fastest  legible  writers  in  America.  In  his  ordinary  writings  he  writes  a  very  discon- 
nected hand,  but  frequently  joins  two  or  three  letters ;  when  receiving  a  press  message 
he  seldom  joins  two  letters. 

For  one  who  has  always  thought  continuity  necessary  and  has  trained  himself  to 
write  a  connected  hand,  to  make  a  temporary  trial  of  the  other  method  will  not  be 
satisfactory,  because  the  action  of  the  hand  in  writing  becomes  almost  completely 
automatic  through  long-continued  practice.  This  kind  of  habit  cannot  be  changed  in 
a  few  minutes  or  even  hours. 


ORDINARY    CLASS    WRITING. 

No  one  need  expect  good  results  in  writing  who  insists  upon  careful  work  only 
during  the  few  minutes  of  the  special  writing  lesson,  and  then  permits  carelessness  in 
all  other  written  work.  In  the  public  school  course  all  writing  must  be  considered 
training  in  writing,  and  more  depends  upon  the  way  the  pupils  are  led  to  do  their 
general  work  than  upon  special  preparations  for,  or  skill  in  conducting,  the  special 
lesson. 

THE    TEACHER'S    GENERAL   WRITING. 

What  has  been  said  of  the  formative  force  of  the  pupil's  general  work  is  also 
true  of  the  teacher's  work.  The  teacher  whose  blackboard  writing  is  uniformly  neat 
and  legible,  will  generally  have  a  class  of  uniformly  good  writers,  and  one  whose 
general  work  is  indifferent  or  poor  will  find  these  characteristics  reflected  in  the 
work  of  his  class. 


SPECIAL   SUGGESTIONS.  2$ 


CHAPTER    IV. 

SPECIAL    SUGGESTIONS. 

BOOK   I. 

It  would  be  well  for  pupils  to  do  much  work  upon  the  blackboard  during  the 
first  half-year  in  school. 

Book  I  should  be  used  during  the  first  year,  together  with  practice  paper  and 
broad,  smooth  pens,  or  large,  soft  lead-pencils. 

Time,  at  least  fifteen  minutes  daily. 

Before  being  used  as  a  writing  exercise  each  word  in  the  copies  on  pages  i  to 
13  should  be  developed  in  the  reading  or  language  lessons. 

When  writing  a  copy  in  the  book  the  pupil  should  have  a  clear  mental  picture 
of  the  word  or  sentence  to  be  written,  so  that  he  will  not  try  to  laboriously  copy  the 
headline  in  every  detail.  When  the  pupil  once  forms  the  habit  of  trying  to  repro- 
duce slowly  each  part  of  a  letter  in  the  copy,  it  will  always  be  difficult  for  him  to 
write  with  a  free  action. 

One  of  the  best  ways  to  encourage  freedom  of  action,  and  at  the  same  time 
train  the  child  to  observe  form  closely,  is  the  plan  given  under  "Training  in  Getting 
Clear  Concepts."  For  instance,  let  the  child  open  the  book  at  the  first  page  and 
look  well  at  the  word  "ice,"  and  then  close  the  book  or  cover  the  copy,  and  write 
the  word  as  he  remembers  it.  Let  him  then  open  the  book  and  compare  his  effort 
with  the  copy.  He  will  now  observe  the  form  more  closely.  Let  him  close  the  book 
again  and  write  the  exercise  on  his  practice  paper.  This  should  be  repeated  until  he 
can  write  the  word  fairly  well. 

After  sufficient  preliminary  practice  of  this  sort,  permission  may  be  given  to 
write  in  the  book. 

Pupils  who  have  been  trained  to  write  between  lines  with  narrow  spaces,  or  who 
have  had  practice  in  writing  from  small,  hairline  copies,  will  find  it  difficult  to  write 
the  large,  bold  forms,  and  at  first  are  likely  to  make  the  letters  very  irregular  in 
size,  but  they  soon  gain  the  power  of  writing  them  freely  and  of  fairly  uniform  size. 

In   writing   the    single-word    copies,  pages    i    to    13,  it   may   be   well  to   practise 


26  THE  NATURAL   SYSTEM  OF   VERTICAL    WRITING. 

each  word  separately,  and  write  a  column  down  the  page  before  practising  another, 
but  in  doing  this  care  must  be  taken  that  the  column  be  kept  fairly  straight. 

Many  teachers  will  at  once  see  the  advantage  of  leaving  out  all  unnecessary  con- 
necting lines  between  letters  in  the  primary  work.  A  child  cannot  see  the  essential 
forms  of  the  -letters  until  they  are  placed  before  him  without  the  extra  lines.  For 
instance,  in  the  word  "cow,"  on  page  i,  if  a  line  were  drawn  to  connect  the  "o"  and 
"w,"  the  form  made  by  the  connecting  line  and  the  up  line  of  the  "o"  and  the  down 
line  of  the  "  w "  would  be  just  as  important  as  any  other  to  the  child ;  but  when  he 
once  becomes  familiar  with  the  appearance  of  the  word  "cow"  without  the  extra  lines, 
you  may  add  as  many  as  you  wish,  but  the  child  can  always  see  the  essential  forms 
of  the  individual  letters. 

It  may  be  urged  that,  without  the  connecting  lines,  the  pupil  will  separate  too 
far  the  letters  in  a  word ;  but  even  if  he  does  at  first,  he  soon  learns  to  group  them 
closely  together  in  the  word. 

Except  in  the  case  of  the  "d"  and  "p"  and  of  the  cross  lines  on  the  "t," 
"f,"  and  "x,"  the  pen  should  not  be  lifted  in  making  the  small  letters. 

Begin  the  "O"  and  "o"  at  the  middle  of  the  top,  and  the  "a,"  "d,"  and 
"q"  where  the  curved  top  joins  the  straight  line. 

All  written  work  should  be  done  with  the  same  kind  of  materials  as  are  used 
in  the  special  writing  lesson. 


BOOK   II. 

Broad,  smooth  pens  should  be  used  and  also  practice  paper. 

Time,  at  least  twenty  minutes  daily. 

Note  the  directions  for  teaching  form  given  under  Book  I.  Pupils  soon  gain 
the  power  of  getting  a  mental  picture  of  the  whole  line  and  reproducing  it  on  paper. 

Begin  "O,"  "o,"  and  "Q"  at  the  middle  of  the  top  and  add  the  tail  of  "Q" 
afterward. 

The  "f"  in  this  book  has  been  modified  with  a  loop  except  when  used  as  an 
initial  letter  in  a  word. 


SPECIAL    SUGGESTIONS.  27 

BOOK   III. 

Broad,  smooth  pens  should  be  used  and  also  practice  paper. 
Time,  at  least  twenty-five  minutes  daily. 

Note  previous  suggestions  as  far  as  they  apply  to  this  year. 

For   this   grade    the   optional  forms  of  "r"    and    "s"   have   been   introduced   for 
convenience  in  joining. 

In  "T"  and  "F"  make  the  stem  and  add  the  top  afterward. 


BOOKS   IV,   V,    AND  VI. 

Practice  paper  and  broad,  smooth  pens  should  be  used. 

Time,  at  least  thirty  minutes  four  times  a  week. 

When  the  pupils  have  had  considerable  training  in  vertical  writing,  speed  practice 
should  begin,  say  in  the  fifth  year,  and  it  should  be  given  regularly  during  the  sixth 
year  after  completing  each  copy  page.  When  the  pupils  have  practised  a  copy  and 
written  it  in  their  books,  they  should  be  trained  to  see  how  many  times  they  can 
write  it  in  one  or  two  minutes. 


28 


THE  NATURAL   SYSTEM  OF   VERTICAL    WRITING. 


CHAPTER   V. 

COURSES   OF    STUDY    IN   WRITING. 

On  first  introducing  the  system  into  schools,  it  is  exceedingly  desirable  to  begin 
with  as  large  letter-forms  as  seems  practicable.  Probably  the  best  writing  practice 
for  all  beginners  would  be  in  Book  I  or  II,  but  with  older  pupils  there  will  be  more 
or  less  objection  to  using  the  primary  books,  and  the  ideal  method  of  grading  in 
the  books  will  have  to  be  modified  accordingly. 

Either  of  the  following  plans  may  be  used.  The  first  plan  is  advised  for  the 
first  year's  use  of  the  system. 


FIRST    PLAN. 


First  year 

Second  year 

Third  year 

Fourth  year 

Fifth  year 

Sixth  year 

Seventh  and  following  year 


SECOND    PLAN. 


First  year 

Second  year     . 

Third  year 

Fourth  year 

Fifth  year         .    '     . 

Sixth  year 

Seventh  and  following  year 


Book  I. 

Books  I  and  II. 

Books  II  and  III. 

Books  III  and  IV. 

Books  IV  and  V. 

Books  V  and  VI. 

Book  VI  and  Business  Forms. 


Book  I. 

Book  II. 

Book  III. 

Books  III  and  IV. 

Books  IV  and  V. 

Books  V  and  VI. 

Book  VI  and  Business  Forms. 


CHART  OF  THE  NATURAL  SYSTEM 
OF  VERTICAL  WRITING 


STANDARD  FORMS. 


11  OP  Q  ft  STUVlUIlj  Z 


OPTIONAL  FORMS. 


(IB  D 


STANDARD  FORMS. 


0   p  C|  AT  S  x?)  t   LL  LTUJX  U 


OPTIONAL  FORMS. 


FIGURES  AND  SIGNS. 


SAMPLE  COPY  FROM  BOOK  I. 


,s  aam.  scm  in  1.77. 


SAMPLE  COPY  FROM  BOOK  II. 


-u xw 


on  /m  ,-s. 


rim 


SAMPLE  COPY  FROM  BOOK  III. 


SAMPLE  COPY  FROM  BOOK  IV. 


SAMPLE  COPY  FROM  BOOK  V. 


SAMPLE  COPY  FROM  BOOK  VI. 


iyru 


,  iyrxA>eaxte,cL  Uajz, 


CI 


3. 


UC  SOUTHERN  REGIONAL 


A     000  074  481     3 


